Updated proposals are being shared as part of £20m improvements for Bulwell town centre.
Nottingham City Council successfully bid for £19.8m from the previous government’s Levelling Up Fund to revamp the area and boost economic growth.
Bulwell town centre is valued in Nottingham because of its longstanding retail offer but it was felt that major infrastructure improvements would enhance this further.
The planned works will complement recent transport infrastructure investment through the Transforming Cities Fund.
This provided £900,000 for the redevelopment of Bulwell bus station in 2023, which included redesigning the layout – installing a new saw-tooth design – and building new passenger waiting platforms.
Nottingham City Transport has also invested £1.8m of private-sector funding into a new electric bus fleet that operates from the facility.
The new project will deliver a range of improvements to make the town centre more attractive, including:
- Bulwell Bogs: The Bulwell Bogs area will be fully refreshed with a new planting and landscape design, including a high-quality play offer to cater for all ages. It will see renewal and expansion of the splash park and introduction of a refreshments kiosk with toilet and changing facilities to make the park a great place to visit – particularly in summer months. Lighting and CCTV will also be upgraded
- Market place: Existing market equipment will be replaced with a flexible mix of stalls, along with better access to electrical power on site, allowing flexibility in attracting both new and existing vendors
- Bus station public toilets: The existing bus station toilets will be rebuilt and modernised
- Wider public realm refurbishment: Paving will be renewed across the pedestrianised areas of the town centre along with new seating and street trees. Connections will be improved between the Market Place and the Bogs area to bring these separate parts of the town centre together
A further aspiration, subject to available budget, is to work with owners and tenants to improve historic buildings around the Market Place, in keeping with its conservation area status and complementing the Public Realm design.
The council had submitted a bid in June 2022 to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), as they were called then under the previous Government, seeking funding through the second round of the Levelling Up Fund.
Officers spoke to a significant number of local stakeholders in developing the bid, but this was initially unsuccessful. However, in November 2023, DLUHC announced that the full funding (£19.867m) would be awarded in the fund’s third round of grants.
Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council and Executive Member for Strategic Regeneration, Transport and Communications, said: “These are further exciting plans for Nottingham and another example of the council using grant funding to support communities across our city.
“We did well to secure this money amid a lot of competition from around the country and we hope that residents, families and businesses in Bulwell will be pleased at what is delivered.
“The much-loved Bulwell Bogs splash park is nearing the end of its life and this is an opportunity to both build on its popularity and safeguard its future with a new and enhanced facility, as well as extend the park around it.
“There will also be significant work done to the wider public areas of Bulwell, including the market square and public toilets.
“We look forward to work starting in the autumn. We deliberately scheduled the works for this time of the year so that the splash park could remain open during the summer for families to enjoy. The market will also operate throughout.”
